1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hard butter which comprises a fat obtained from the pericarp of the Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum).
2. Description of the Prior Art
An adult Chinese tallow tree, a deciduous shrub originating from China, attains a height of 5 to 10 m. The flowering time of this tree is from April to June and seeds thereof can be harvested from September to November. A seed of this tree is white, has a diameter of approximately 5 to 7 mm and contains a large amount of fats in its surface and kernel.
The fats obtained from the seeds of the Chinese tallow tree have been used merely in the preparation of candles and soaps hitherto. However there has been attempted to more effectively utilize the same as, for example, an ingredient of skin cosmetics (cf. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 183610/1983) or a substitute for petroleum.
Although the seed of this tree contains a large amount of fats in its surface and kernel, a fat obtained from the surface, i.e., pericarp oil, is completely different from that obtained from the kernel, i.e., kernel oil, in properties including physical ones.
For example, the kernel oil, which has an iodine value of 130 to 170 and is in the form of a liquid or a flowable matter at room temperature, falls within the category of a drying oil in a broad sense.
On the other hand, the pericarp oil has an iodine value of 25 to 45 and in the form of a solid at room temperature. it comprises palmitic and oleic acids as major fatty acids. The major triglyceride thereof is 2-oleo-1,3-palmitine.
The 2-unsaturated-1,3-saturated glycerides mainly comprising 2-oleo-1,3-palmitine contained in the pericarp oil amounts to 50% by weight or more and sometimes to approximately 75% by weight of the pericarp oil.
The pericarp oil further contains 5 to 30% by weight of trisaturated glycerides mainly comprising 1,2,3-palmitine.